Difference between revisions of "Basilisk" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Basilisk aldrovandi.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Woodblock print]] of a basilisk from [[Ulisse Aldrovandi]], ''Monstrorum historia'', 1642]]   
 
[[Image:Basilisk aldrovandi.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Woodblock print]] of a basilisk from [[Ulisse Aldrovandi]], ''Monstrorum historia'', 1642]]   
 
[[Image:Sint Michael Zwolle Stadszegel 1295.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cityseal of [[Zwolle]] from 1295 with Saint-Michael killing a basilisk]]
 
[[Image:Sint Michael Zwolle Stadszegel 1295.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Cityseal of [[Zwolle]] from 1295 with Saint-Michael killing a basilisk]]
In [[Europe]]an [[bestiary|bestiaries]] and [[legend]]s, a '''basilisk''' (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] βασιλίσκος ''basiliskos'', a little king, in Latin ''Regulus'') is a legendary [[reptile]] reputed to be king of [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpents]] and said to have the power of causing [[death]] by a single glance. According to the ''[[Naturalis Historia]]'' of [[Pliny the Elder]], the basilisk is a small snake that is so [[venom]]ous that it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal.
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The '''basilisk''', (sometimes refered to as a '''Cockatrice'''), is a [[myth|mythological]] creature, most often depicted as a [[reptile]], and is reputed to be king of [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpents]]. One of the most feared of all mythological beasts, a basilisk is said to have the power of causing [[death]] by a single glance. Basilisk is also the name of a genus of small lizards, (family ''Corytophanidae''). The Green Basilisk, also called [[plumed basilisk]], is often called the "Jesus lizard" for its ability to run across the surface of water.
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==Etymology==
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The word basilisk in [[English|English language]] stems from the [[Greek language|Greek]] βασιλίσκος ''basiliskos'', which translates as "a kinglet, a kind of serpent". . In [[Latin language|Latin]], the creature is ''basiliscus'', and in [[French language|French]], it is ''basilique'', both of which influenced the eventual Anglicization of the word, into basilisk.<ref> (1971) "The Oxford English Dictionary" Oxford Press, ISBN 019861117X</ref>
  
Basilisk is also the name of a genus of small lizards, (family ''Corytophanidae''). The Green Basilisk, also called [[plumed basilisk]], is often called the "Jesus lizard" for its ability to run across the surface of water.
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The etymology of the term cockatrice is more convoluted; appearing in many of the [[Classical languages|Classical]] and [[Early European Languages|Early]] languages of [[Europe]], the [[Old French language|Old French]] ''cocatris'', was adopted into [[Middle English language|Middle English]] as ''cocatrice'', and eventually evolved into the modern cockatrice.<ref>  (1971) "The Oxford English Dictionary" Oxford Press, ISBN 019861117X</ref> Although the two terms may not be mutual exclusive, both are commonly used to describe, if not the same creature, then two creatures of pronounced similarity.
 
   
 
   
==Accounts==
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==Description==
There are three descriptions to the image of the basilisk: a huge lizard, a giant snake, or a three-foot high [[cockerel]] with a snake's tail and teeth, all of which are shared with the [[cockatrice]]. It is called "king" because it is reputed to have on its head a [[mitre]]- or crown-shaped [[sagittal crest|crest]]. Stories of the basilisk place it in the same general family as the cockatrice. The basilisk is fabulously alleged to be hatched by a cockerel from the egg of a serpent (the reverse of the cockatrice, which was hatched from a hen's egg incubated by a serpent's nest). In [[Medieval Europe]], the description of the creature began taking on features from cockerels.
 
  
One of the earliest accounts of the basilisk comes from [[Pliny the Elder]]'s ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'', written in roughly 79 C.E. He describes the [[catoblepas]], a monstrous cow-like creature to whom "there is not one that looketh upon his eyes, but hee dyeth presently."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Historie of the World Booke VIII |author=Philomon Holland (translator)|year=1601|url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/holland/pliny8.html  |accessdate=2007-06-25}}</ref>, and then goes on to say,
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There are three descriptions to the image of the basilisk: a huge lizard, a giant snake, or a conglomerate of a reptile and [[rooster]], often with the head, plumage and front legs of the rooster, and a repitilian tail, and sometimes scaly wings (This last form is often the one described as a cockatrice). The abilities of a basilisk are just as diverse; its ability to kill any living creature simply by gazing into the eyes of its prey is almost universal, but some attribute such other fearsome traits as the ability to breath fire (much like a dragon), the lethal venom it can deliver through a bite, and the ability to fly. It is almost always assumed to be extremely hostile and a fierce predator, and is often looked upon with dread, a creature of pure evil. The basilisk is fabulously alleged to be hatched by a cockerel from the egg of a serpent (the reverse of the cockatrice, which was hatched from a hen's egg incubated by a serpent's nest).
  
<blockquote>The like propertie hath the serpent called a Basiliske: bred it is in the province Cyrenaica, and is not above twelve fingers-breadth long: a white spot like a starre it carrieth on the head, and setteth it out like a coronet or diademe: if he but hisse once, no other serpents dare come neere: he creepeth not winding and crawling by as other serpents doe, with one part of the bodie driving the other forward, but goeth upright and aloft from the ground with the one halfe part of his bodie: he killeth all trees and shrubs not only that he toucheth, but that he doth breath upon also: as for grasse and hearbs, those hee sindgeth and burneth up, yea and breaketh stones in sunder: so venimous and deadly is he. It is received for a truth, that one of them upon a time was killed with a launce by an horseman from his horseback, but the poison was so strong that went from his bodie along the staffe, as it killed both horse and man: and yet a sillie weazle hath a deadly power to kill this monstrous serpent, as pernicious as it is [for may kings have been desirous to see the experience thereof, and the manner how he is killed.] See how Nature hath delighted to match everything in the world with a concurrent. The manner is, to cast these weazles into their holes and cranies where they lye, (and easie they be to knowe, by the stinking sent of the place all about them:) they are not so soone within, but they overcome them with their strong smell, but they die themselves withall; and so Nature for her pleasure hath the combat dispatched.</blockquote>
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According to some legends, basilisks can be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster{{who}} or gazing at itself through a mirror. The latter method of killing the beast is featured in the legend of the basilisk living in [[Warsaw]], killed by a man carrying a set of mirrors (the most famous version of the legend was written by [[Artur Oppman]]).
  
[[Bede]] was the first to acknowledge the legend how a basilisk gets born from an egg by an old [[rooster]], then other authors added the condition of [[Sirius]] being ascendant. [[Isidore of Seville]] defined the basilisk as the king of snakes, which dare him for his dangerous glare and its poisonous breath. [[Alexander Neckham]] was the first to say that not the glare but the "air corruption" was the killing tool of the basilisk, a theory developed one century later by [[Pietro d'Abano]].  
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==Origin==
 +
Some have speculated a [[Euhemerus|euhemeristic]] explanation for the basilisk, in particular that reports of [[cobra]]s may have given birth to the stories of the monster. Cobras can maintain an upright posture, and, as with many snakes in overlapping territories, is often killed by [[mongoose]]s. The [[king cobra]] or Hamadryad has a crownlike symbol on its head. Another family of eleven species of cobras can incapacitate from a distance by spitting venom, and may well have been confused by similar appearance with the Hamadryad. The Egyptian cobra lives in the desert and was used as a symbol of royalty.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Magic Zoo: The Natural History of Fabulous Animals|author=Peter Costello|publisher=Sphere Ltd.|year=1979|pages=129}}</ref>
  
[[Theophilus Presbyter]] gives a long recipe in his book for creating a basilisk in order to convert [[copper]] into "[[Spain|Spanish]] [[gold]]" (''De auro hyspanico'').
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There is in fact a small lizard called the [[Common Basilisk]] (''Basiliscus basiliscus''), though it shares none of the attributes of the legendary creature, save a frill resembling a crown.
  
[[Albertus Magnus]] in the ''De animalibus'' wrote about the killing gaze of the basilisk, but he denied other legends, such as the rooster hatching the egg. He gave as source of those legends [[Hermes Trismegistus]], who is credited also as the creator of the story about the basilisk's ashes being able to convert [[silver]] into [[gold]]: the attribution is absolutely incorrect, but it shows how the legends of the basilisk were already linked to [[alchemy]] in XIII century.
+
One of the earliest accounts of the basilisk comes from [[Pliny the Elder]]'s ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'', written in roughly 79 C.E. He describes the [[catoblepas]], a monstrous cow-like creature to whom "there is not one that looketh upon his eyes, but hee dyeth presently."<ref>{{cite web|title=The Historie of the World Booke VIII |author=Philomon Holland (translator)|year=1601|url=http://penelope.uchicago.edu/holland/pliny8.html  |accessdate=2007-06-25}}</ref>
  
[[Geoffrey Chaucer]] featured a '''basilicok''' (as he called it) in his ''[[Canterbury Tales]]''. According to some legends, basilisks can be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster{{who}} or gazing at itself through a mirror. The latter method of killing the beast is featured in the legend of the basilisk living in [[Warsaw]], killed by a man carrying a set of mirrors (the most famous version of the legend was written by [[Artur Oppman]]).
+
[[Bede]] was the first to acknowledge the legend how a basilisk gets born from an egg by an old [[rooster]], then other authors added the condition of the constellation [[Sirius]] being ascendant in the sky at the time. [[Isidore of Seville]] defined the basilisk as the king of snakes, which dare him for his dangerous glare and its poisonous breath. [[Alexander Neckham]] was the first to say that not the glare but the "air corruption" was the killing tool of the basilisk, a theory developed one century later by [[Pietro d'Abano]].  
  
Stories gradually added to the basilisk's deadly capabilities, such as describing it as a larger beast, capable of breathing fire and killing with the sound of its voice. Some writers even claimed that it could kill not only by touch, but also by touching something that is touching the victim, like a sword held in their hand.  Also, some stories claim their breath is highly toxic and will cause death, usually immediately.  The basilisk is also the guardian creature of the Swiss city [[Basel]].
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[[Theophilus Presbyter]] gives a long recipe in his book for creating a basilisk in order to convert [[copper]] into "[[Spain|Spanish]] [[gold]]" (''De auro hyspanico'').
  
The basilisk was, however, believed to be vulnerable to roosters. Travellers in the Middle Ages sometimes carried roosters with them as protection.<ref>David Colbert, ''The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter'', p 36, ISBN 0-9708442-0-4</ref>
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[[Albertus Magnus]] in the ''De animalibus'' wrote about the killing gaze of the basilisk, but he denied other legends, such as the rooster hatching the egg. He gave as source of those legends [[Hermes Trismegistus]], who is credited also as the creator of the story about the basilisk's ashes being able to convert [[silver]] into [[gold]]: the attribution is absolutely incorrect, but it shows how the legends of the basilisk were already linked to [[alchemy]] in XIII century.
  
 
[[Leonardo da Vinci]] included a basilisk in his [[Bestiary]], saying it is so utterly cruel that when it cannot kill animals by its baleful gaze, it turns upon herbs and plants, and fixing its gaze on them withers them up.
 
[[Leonardo da Vinci]] included a basilisk in his [[Bestiary]], saying it is so utterly cruel that when it cannot kill animals by its baleful gaze, it turns upon herbs and plants, and fixing its gaze on them withers them up.
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"This beast finding the lair of the basilisk kills it with the smell of its urine, and this smell, indeed, often kills the weasel itself."
 
"This beast finding the lair of the basilisk kills it with the smell of its urine, and this smell, indeed, often kills the weasel itself."
  
==Euhemeristic accounts==
+
==Literary references==
 
 
Some have speculated a [[Euhemerus|euhemeristic]] explanation for the basilisk, in particular that reports of [[cobra]]s may have given birth to the stories of the monster. Cobras can maintain an upright posture, and, as with many snakes in overlapping territories, is often killed by [[mongoose]]s. The [[king cobra]] or Hamadryad has a crownlike symbol on its head. Another family of eleven species of cobras can incapacitate from a distance by spitting venom, and may well have been confused by similar appearance with the Hamadryad. The Egyptian cobra lives in the desert and was used as a symbol of royalty.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Magic Zoo: The Natural History of Fabulous Animals|author=Peter Costello|publisher=Sphere Ltd.|year=1979|pages=129}}</ref>
 
 
 
There is in fact a small lizard called the [[Common Basilisk]] (''Basiliscus basiliscus''), though it shares none of the attributes of the legendary creature, save a frill resembling a crown.
 
  
==Literary references==
+
[[Geoffrey Chaucer]] featured a '''basilicok''' (as he called it) in his ''[[Canterbury Tales]]''.
  
 
In ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', [[William Shakespeare]] had a widow, on hearing the compliments to her eyes from her husband's brother and murderer, retort that she wishes they were a basilisk's, to kill him.<ref>David Colbert, ''The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter'', p 36, ISBN 0-9708442-0-4</ref>
 
In ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', [[William Shakespeare]] had a widow, on hearing the compliments to her eyes from her husband's brother and murderer, retort that she wishes they were a basilisk's, to kill him.<ref>David Colbert, ''The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter'', p 36, ISBN 0-9708442-0-4</ref>

Revision as of 19:58, 15 August 2007


File:Basilisk aldrovandi.jpg
Woodblock print of a basilisk from Ulisse Aldrovandi, Monstrorum historia, 1642
Cityseal of Zwolle from 1295 with Saint-Michael killing a basilisk

The basilisk, (sometimes refered to as a Cockatrice), is a mythological creature, most often depicted as a reptile, and is reputed to be king of serpents. One of the most feared of all mythological beasts, a basilisk is said to have the power of causing death by a single glance. Basilisk is also the name of a genus of small lizards, (family Corytophanidae). The Green Basilisk, also called plumed basilisk, is often called the "Jesus lizard" for its ability to run across the surface of water.

Etymology

The word basilisk in English language stems from the Greek βασιλίσκος basiliskos, which translates as "a kinglet, a kind of serpent". . In Latin, the creature is basiliscus, and in French, it is basilique, both of which influenced the eventual Anglicization of the word, into basilisk.[1]

The etymology of the term cockatrice is more convoluted; appearing in many of the Classical and Early languages of Europe, the Old French cocatris, was adopted into Middle English as cocatrice, and eventually evolved into the modern cockatrice.[2] Although the two terms may not be mutual exclusive, both are commonly used to describe, if not the same creature, then two creatures of pronounced similarity.

Description

There are three descriptions to the image of the basilisk: a huge lizard, a giant snake, or a conglomerate of a reptile and rooster, often with the head, plumage and front legs of the rooster, and a repitilian tail, and sometimes scaly wings (This last form is often the one described as a cockatrice). The abilities of a basilisk are just as diverse; its ability to kill any living creature simply by gazing into the eyes of its prey is almost universal, but some attribute such other fearsome traits as the ability to breath fire (much like a dragon), the lethal venom it can deliver through a bite, and the ability to fly. It is almost always assumed to be extremely hostile and a fierce predator, and is often looked upon with dread, a creature of pure evil. The basilisk is fabulously alleged to be hatched by a cockerel from the egg of a serpent (the reverse of the cockatrice, which was hatched from a hen's egg incubated by a serpent's nest).

According to some legends, basilisks can be killed by hearing the crow of a rooster[attribution needed] or gazing at itself through a mirror. The latter method of killing the beast is featured in the legend of the basilisk living in Warsaw, killed by a man carrying a set of mirrors (the most famous version of the legend was written by Artur Oppman).

Origin

Some have speculated a euhemeristic explanation for the basilisk, in particular that reports of cobras may have given birth to the stories of the monster. Cobras can maintain an upright posture, and, as with many snakes in overlapping territories, is often killed by mongooses. The king cobra or Hamadryad has a crownlike symbol on its head. Another family of eleven species of cobras can incapacitate from a distance by spitting venom, and may well have been confused by similar appearance with the Hamadryad. The Egyptian cobra lives in the desert and was used as a symbol of royalty.[3]

There is in fact a small lizard called the Common Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus), though it shares none of the attributes of the legendary creature, save a frill resembling a crown.

One of the earliest accounts of the basilisk comes from Pliny the Elder's Natural History, written in roughly 79 C.E. He describes the catoblepas, a monstrous cow-like creature to whom "there is not one that looketh upon his eyes, but hee dyeth presently."[4]

Bede was the first to acknowledge the legend how a basilisk gets born from an egg by an old rooster, then other authors added the condition of the constellation Sirius being ascendant in the sky at the time. Isidore of Seville defined the basilisk as the king of snakes, which dare him for his dangerous glare and its poisonous breath. Alexander Neckham was the first to say that not the glare but the "air corruption" was the killing tool of the basilisk, a theory developed one century later by Pietro d'Abano.

Theophilus Presbyter gives a long recipe in his book for creating a basilisk in order to convert copper into "Spanish gold" (De auro hyspanico).

Albertus Magnus in the De animalibus wrote about the killing gaze of the basilisk, but he denied other legends, such as the rooster hatching the egg. He gave as source of those legends Hermes Trismegistus, who is credited also as the creator of the story about the basilisk's ashes being able to convert silver into gold: the attribution is absolutely incorrect, but it shows how the legends of the basilisk were already linked to alchemy in XIII century.

Leonardo da Vinci included a basilisk in his Bestiary, saying it is so utterly cruel that when it cannot kill animals by its baleful gaze, it turns upon herbs and plants, and fixing its gaze on them withers them up.

In his Notebooks, he describes the basilisk:

This is found in the province of Cyrenaica and is not more than 12 fingers long. It has on its head a white spot after the fashion of a diadem. It scares all serpents with its whistling. It resembles a snake, but does not move by wriggling but from the centre forwards to the right. It is said that oneof these, being killed with a spear by one who was on horse-back, and its venom flowing on the spear, not only the man but the horse also died. It spoils the wheat and not only that which it touches, but where it breathes the grass dries and the stones are split.

Then Leonardo says the following on the weasel: "This beast finding the lair of the basilisk kills it with the smell of its urine, and this smell, indeed, often kills the weasel itself."

Literary references

Geoffrey Chaucer featured a basilicok (as he called it) in his Canterbury Tales.

In Richard III, William Shakespeare had a widow, on hearing the compliments to her eyes from her husband's brother and murderer, retort that she wishes they were a basilisk's, to kill him.[5] Percy Bysshe Shelley in his "Ode to Naples" alludes to the basilisk:

Be thou like the imperial basilisk, Killing thy foe with unapparent wounds! Gaze on oppression, till at that dread risk, Aghast she pass from the earth’s disk. Fear not, but gaze,- for freemen mightier grow, And slaves more feeble, gazing on their foe.

A basilisk is mentioned in the chapter XVI of The Zadig by Voltaire.

A basilisk's look is mentioned in the 4th chapter of Dracula when the main character makes his first attempt to kill Count Dracula.

In the second Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, author J.K. Rowling employs a basilisk as the creature contained within the legendary Chamber of Secrets. This basilisk is in the form of a giant serpent who can kill by looking victims in the eyes.

Usage in modern fantasy

For basilisks in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, see Basilisk (Dungeons & Dragons).

Basilisks have been re-imagined and employed in modern fantasy fiction for books, movies, and role-playing games, with wide variations on the powers and weaknesses attributed to them.

Notes

  1. (1971) "The Oxford English Dictionary" Oxford Press, ISBN 019861117X
  2. (1971) "The Oxford English Dictionary" Oxford Press, ISBN 019861117X
  3. Peter Costello (1979). The Magic Zoo: The Natural History of Fabulous Animals. Sphere Ltd., 129. 
  4. Philomon Holland (translator) (1601). The Historie of the World Booke VIII. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
  5. David Colbert, The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter, p 36, ISBN 0-9708442-0-4

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • (Italian) Il sacro artefice, Paolo Galloni, Laterza, Bari 1998 (about the hystorical background of basiliscus during the Middle Ages).


External links


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